While border restrictions started to loosen today for some Canadians, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau would only say that steps toward reopening the U.S.-Canada border will be rolled out over the next few weeks.
As of this morning, Canadians and permanent residents who have completed their doses of a COVID-19 vaccine approved for use in Canada are now able to forgo the 14-day quarantine, which has been a requirement since March of last year.
Fully vaccinated Canadians and permanent residents who arrive by air will also be allowed to skip out on the federal government’s required stay in a government-approved hotel.
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However, the travel restrictions between Canada and the United States preventing all non-essential trips, including tourism, are to remain in place until at least July 21.
“We’re very hopeful that we’re going to see new steps on reopening announced in the coming weeks,” Trudeau said during an announcement in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. today.
“We’re going to make sure that we’re not seeing a resurgence of COVID-19 cases because nobody wants to go back to further restrictions, after having done so much and sacrificed so much to get to this point.”
Today’s gradual reopening marks the first time Canadians and permanent residents have to start showing electronic proof of their vaccinations. Those entering the country must electronically submit COVID-19-related information to the government’s ArriveCAN app before arriving, meet the pre- and on-arrival test requirements, be asymptomatic and have a suitable quarantine plan.
Travellers are required to submit a suitable quarantine plan even if they’re “seeking the fully vaccinated exemption,” says the government’s website.
The federal government also has said children who aren’t fully vaccinated will be able to go home with their parents, but must quarantine and follow testing rules.
The Canada Border Services Agency said travellers arriving before 12:01 a.m. EDT on July 5 would not be eligible for the reduced public health measures. When the updated guidelines were first announced, the cutoff time had been set for 11:59 p.m. Monday, but that was changed.
Dr. Sumon Chakrabarti, an infectious disease physician with Trillium Health Partners, said the risk calculus is at a point where easing the border restrictions makes sense.
“Before, all we talked about was COVID risk. But now that we’ve been able to defang the virus with vaccines — these vaccines are wonderful — we can now bring in a risk trade-off,” he said.
“We now know bringing in travellers can be done because the illness isn’t as severe.”
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HALIFAX – An energy firm based in Ireland says it is planning to produce aviation fuel using about 700,000 tonnes of wood biomass annually.
Simply Blue Group announced today that construction would begin in 2026 with the bio fuel project expected to be operating by 2029 in Goldboro, N.S., about 165 kilometres northeast of Halifax.
The company says it has secured about 305 hectares of land for development, including 108 hectares previously owned by Pieridae — which had planned to build an LNG plant at the site — and 198 hectares owned by the Municipality of the District of Guysborough.
Based in Cork, Ireland, the company says its aviation fuel performs like conventional jet fuel but reduces greenhouse gases by “approximately 90 per cent.”
Simply Blue says that every year the project will source about 700,000 tonnes of biomass from Wagner Forest NS Ltd. to produce 150,000 tonnes of the fuel.
Tory Rushton, the province’s natural resources minister, issued a statement saying the plant could represent a new market for the province’s forestry sector.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
FREDERICTON – New Brunswick RCMP are disputing claims that the recent shooting death of an Indigenous man in mental distress happened during a police wellness check.
Assistant commissioner DeAnna Hill, commander of the New Brunswick RCMP, says that information is inaccurate.
On Monday, the RCMP said two officers responded to a report of an armed man in mental distress at a home in the Elsipogtog First Nation, where one Mountie shot the man after the other failed to subdue him with a stun gun.
Erin Nauss, director of the Serious Incident Response Team, says she understands the initial interaction on Sunday was not what the RCMP would call a wellness check, but she says the police oversight agency will conduct an investigation to “determine all of the facts.”
Meanwhile, a statement from an Indigenous group that works with the RCMP said they weren’t told about the deadly incident until it was too late, and the group described the Mounties’ initial role at the scene as a wellness check.
As well, New Brunswick Liberal Leader Susan Holt has described what happened as a wellness check gone wrong.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
HALIFAX – RCMP are expected to provide an update today on their investigation into the suspicious disappearance of a 55-year-old Nova Scotia woman.
Esther Jones was reported missing on Labour Day, and the RCMP’s major crime unit is now involved in the case.
According to police, Jones was last seen on Aug. 31 in Kingston, N.S., and family members reported her missing Sept. 2.
Two days later, officers found Jones’s vehicle, a silver 2009 Volkswagen Passat, abandoned in nearby Greenwood, N.S.
Jones is described as five-feet-four with a slim build, and she has brown, greying, shoulder-length hair and hazel eyes.
She may have been wearing a black T-shirt with ties on the shoulders, a black and floral below-the-knee skirt, and sunglasses with mirrored lenses when she was last seen.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
